Before turning to vinyl in 1933, manufacturers utilized linseed oil, powdered cork, wood flour and other natural ingredients to create resilient linoleum sheet flooring. Today, these same suppliers are returning to their bio-based roots for naturally renewable alternatives to vinyl and phthalate plasticizers.

“Migrations was received very positively for its environmental attributes but specifiers also wanted something that was differentiated from VCT,” said Rice. “Striations retains the same environmental and performance advantages while providing the linear striation visual that is popular in carpet tile, ceramic and LVT. The design options are much broader and more flexible.”
Striations BBT won FCW’s GreenStep 2012 Product Award, the International Design Awards (IDA) for Sustainable Living/Environmental Preservation and the 2012 Symposium Distinction Award. It is also NSF/ASNI 332 Gold Level certified.

Earlier this year, Johnsonite, Tarkett’s commercial arm, launched iQ Natural, a commercial sheet product made up of 75 percent natural and 16 percent renewable content. Instead of PVC plasticizers, iQ Natural utilizes extracts from the castor oil plant. It is 100 percent recyclable and restores blemishes with dry buffing.
This year, iQ Natural received the 2012 Green Good Design Award, Best of NeoCon Silver Award and the IIDEX Canada Bronze Innovation Award. It is also NSF 332 Platinum level certified.

“We want to choose the best possible materials that have the least impact possible on the environment. That’s the long-term goal,” said Diane Martel, vice president, environmental planning and strategy, Tarkett North America.
Tarkett also utilizes oyster shells and walnut shells as the foundation for its Ecolibrium wall base. These bio-based efforts culminate with Tarkett’s goal of maintaining VOC emission levels of less than 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

“The emissions on these products are so low that they are not quantifiable,” she explained. “It’s a huge commitment. We had to change the chemistry and the way we make products but do it in a way that doesn’t negatively impact quality, cost and efficiency.”
Centiva, which was acquired by Tarkett in 2010, converted its popular Victory commercial LVT collection to a phthalate-free, bio-based plasticizer last year.

Also this year, Mannington launched Enlighten, a heavy commercial homogeneous sheet composed of rubber, “natural renewable resources” and 5 percent postconsumer recycled material, according to Dave Kitts, vice president of environment, Mannington.
“Enlightened is an alternative for those seeking not to use vinyl flooring,” said Kitts. “It performs just as well as vinyl, and that was the challenge. But the composite rubber formula also provides greater comfort underfoot and reduces noise in high traffic commercial applications.” The collection is NSF/ANNSI-332 certified and available in 43 colors.

It is difficult to determine if alternative materials in general are actually better for the environment in the long run than vinyl. Just because a raw material is bio-based, it could be unhealthy to process, produce or live on, Martel said. It could also be shipped from too far away or not be readily available.

“There are many challenges,” said Martel. “The hardest thing to do is to define the impact. Is the overall impact you are creating with the new material less, equal or greater than the material you’re abandoning? That’s what lifecycle cost analysis is all about; figuring out which material should be used and why.”
Industry insiders said that specifiers are increasingly “going green” and the industry is in the process of regulating itself before the government does.

“A lot of people don’t ask for phthalate-free products but we switched to alternative plasticizers for those that do,” said Erin Dempsey, public relations, environment and strategy, Centiva. “Our NSF/ANSI-332 certification helps assure customers, designers and stakeholders that environmental impacts are being considered throughout the design, manufacturing and use of our products.”